Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox

I know, I know, it’s not news anymore, but I don’t think we ever wrote about it and it’s the least we can do for one of our heroes. So, in case you weren’t aware, the to-be-released Merge Records tribute album Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox features Jeff Mangum, Yo La Tengo, Stephin Merritt and many more performing Knox songs with all proceeds going to Chris Knox, who suffered a stroke earlier this year. An Mp3 version of the record is already available for $12, with the $20 disc version arriving in February. If you buy the disc, you get a digital copy right away, so go buy a copy and support Mr. Knox.

To be honest, I never thought the day would arrive when Stephin Merritt would cover Chris Knox. Worlds colliding for my collegiate obsessions! Also, I’m really curious as to why each artist chose their particular track to cover. Granted Chris has hundreds if not thousands of songs to choose from, but the shear variety was either orchestrated or is a testament to the variety and consistency of Knox’s output.